Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus

"This could be the start of a great franchise!"

First, let's go back in time to a simpler era: the one of the legendary SNES/Genesis. At the time, the game which was all the rage in arcades was Mortal Kombat, which sparked plenty of consternation from parental groups and politicians. The masterminds behind all the carnage were Ed Boon and John Tobias. However, the MK franchise went downhill with a host of unispired sequels, including the horrendous MK4. Tobias and Boon had a split and moved on their own separate paths.

Now, let's return to the present. Ed Boon has made waves by revitalizing the MK series with the wonderful Deadly Alliance, and Tobias has thrown his hat into the ring with Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus. Whereas Boon decided to evolve his existing franchise into something better, Tobias started from scratch and has created a very playable fighter which could be the basis for a great new franchise.

Graphics:
The graphics in Tao Feng are astounding. Without a doubt, this is the best-looking fighter out there right now, and since Tao Feng was developed solely for the Xbox, it takes advantage of all its power. Character designs are intricate and varied, and animation is very smooth. During the course of battle, characters will bruise and bleed, and their clothes will tear to show the effects of the battle. Brilliant! It seems like such a little thing, but it adds so much to the immersion factor of the game. Stages are well-designed and a joy to play. The only issue here concerns the camera, at least it is an issue if you listen to most reviewers. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I have simply had no problems with the camera in any fight I have had. The angle will switch suddenly, but I have not taken any hits because of it.

Score: 10/10

Sound:
The soundtrack here is nice, but it seems a little like a typical fighter soundtrack. Fast-paced music is present to get you in the mood for fighting. It's good, but it's nothing that will stick in your head after you're done playing it. Sound effects during battles are fine. The voice acting relies heavily on the cheese factor, but that is apparently what the developers were going for, so it's all good.

Score: 8/10

Gameplay:
Button mashers need not apply here.

More than any game I have ever seen, even Virtua Fighter 4, Tao Feng is really geared toward players who are willing to take the time to master its combo system. A newbie would not stand a chance against a veteran in this game. Mindlessly flailing on the buttons here is pointless, as you will be quickly carved into a quivering pile of flesh by either your human opponent or the AI. Once you get the hang of it, though, you'll love the deep fighting system which is present.

One of the biggest innovations advertised with Tao Feng is the limb damage system. During battle, you can damage the limbs of your opponent. This didn't play out as well as it should have, as damaging your adversaries' limbs will only create a loss of some of the effectiveness of the injured area. While it is a very cool idea, it just doesn't seem to come into play too much.

Another important feature here is the chi meter, which will allow you to do special energy-based attacks when full. Of course, you fill the meter by beating ruthlessly on your opponent. Additionally, a full chi meter can be optionally used to heal injured limbs by simply pulling on the L trigger. The chi meter, while similar to other fighters' super bars and the such, is nicely implemented and important in battle strategy.

Fights are not divided into rounds, like in most other fighters. Instead, each warrior is given three life bars which must be whittled down. With no time limit, you really don't feel like you're fighting against the clock as well as your enemy, allowing for more strategy to be used. This means that fights in Tao Feng are longer than those of a typical fighter, but that's okay.

Another well-advertised feature is the ability to use the stages themselves to brutalize other players. This is something that really doesn't work out too well in practice, either. I really didn't spend much time using the environment to my advantage because it is too difficult to do in an actual fight. It's still nice to throw your opponent into a window, though.

The meat of Tao Feng for solo players is its quest mode. In this mode, you pick one faction, either the Pale Lotus or the Black Mantis, and play through the story of the game. There are six members to each team, and each one is responsible for retrieving a particular artifact. To see the entire story, you must beat the game with every character. There is also one unlockable stage and one unlockable character to be found here as well. Other typical modes are to be found here, but you will spend most of your time in the quest mode.

Overall, Tao Feng may not be completely refined, but for the first attempt from Tobias and co., it is very fun to play and reasonably deep.

Score: 8/10

Story:
Unlike most fighters Tao Feng actually has a deep, involving story. The Pale Lotus and the Black Mantis are fighting over an artifact which is said bestow immortality on the possessor. Each of the characters has their own part to play in this conflict, so every time you play through quest mode with one of them, you will see their view of the battle. The story is quite good, but I don't want to spoil it. It's nice to see story finally becoming an important part of fighters.

Score: 9/10

Replay value:
Tao Feng has plenty of replay value if you have friends to get into it. TF is very fun to play, and you will undoubtedly keep coming back to it. The game doesn't offer much in the way of unlockables, unlike MK:DA, but you'll still find yourself playing it over and over.

Score: 7/10

Overall impressions:
I was very apprehensive about picking up my copy of Tao Feng. I had seen a few negative reviews about the game, and I was considering forgetting the whole thing and buying something else. I'm glad I stuck with it. This is not a game for the casual fighting game fan. It was developed for hardcore fighters, and it certainly achieved that purpose. Tao Feng is not perfect, but it shows plenty of potential to just get stronger as the series progresses. Hopefully, Tobias will iron out the few problem areas and provide us with entertainment for years to come. If you are not a big fan of fighters, I would highly suggest that you rent this one first, as you may get discourage very easily. Hardcore fans should put Tao Feng high on their wish lists.

Overall score (not an average): 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/03, Updated 03/22/03